The present invention is generally related to hermetically sealed devices, and more particularly is related to a hermetically sealed connector.
Electrical connectors (hereafter referred to as xe2x80x9cconnectorsxe2x80x9d) are typically utilized to provide signal transmission between multiple devices. Alternatively, connectors may be utilized to provide signal transmission within a single device. With advancement in technology, connectors have been utilized in many different environments, including, but not limited to, use in space, where logic associated with the connector is required to be enclosed in an air-tight body. As an example, it is typical that the connector is mounted directly to a housing. In the above example, the connection between the housing and the connector is required to be hermetically sealed to protect the logic from corrosive gases and/or moisture that may exist in the environment. In this case, the portion of the connector mounted to the housing is required to be hermetic and provide for reliable hermetic attachment to the housing.
Current solutions to the abovementioned include use of individual feed-thrus to achieve a hermetically wired conventional non-hermetic connector, or use of connectors constructed with bimetallic composites, the former being expensive in terms of material cost, labor and space, and the latter simply being expensive.
It should also be noted that structurally, a typical connector contains multiple pins connected within a header, where the header is connected to an outer body. The outer body is situated within the housing. Typically, the header is connected to the outer body via soldering techniques. Unfortunately, a seal between the header and the outer body may fail due to failures in a soldering joint between the header and the outer body. Soldering a minimal clearance joint between the header and the outer body results in a very thin layer of solder. While a thin layer of solder exhibits great strength in certain contexts and types of testing, it does not provide for significant radial compliance in the configuration described above. Accordingly, when the connector is subjected to temperature cycling, as is required in the testing of many military components, the solder joint may become fatigued and fail. In addition, the solder joint may not fail during testing, but instead, may fail during use of the connector. This tendency to failure is exacerbated by the well-known tendency of solder to creep under stress.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a hermetically sealed connector and method for providing the same. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the connector, among others, can be implemented as follows. The connector contains a header having a series of pins secured therein, wherein the header has an upper lip portion that extends in a direction perpendicular to a central axis of a pin within the series of pins. The header also has a lower lip portion that extends in a direction perpendicular to the upper lip portion. The connector also contains an outer body having a series of clearance layers therein that are defined by an inner wall of the outer body, wherein each clearance layer within the series of clearance layers has an associated diameter, and wherein the header is connected to a first portion of the inner wall via a solder joint that extends from the lower lip portion of the header to the first portion of the inner wall. The first portion of the inner wall also has at least two different diameters.
The present invention can also be viewed as providing methods for providing a hermetically sealed connector. In this regard, one embodiment of such a method, among others, can be broadly summarized by the following steps: placing a header within an outer body, wherein the header has a series of pins secured therein, an upper lip portion that extends in a direction perpendicular to a central axis of a pin within the series of pins, and a lower lip portion that extends in a direction perpendicular to the upper lip portion, and wherein the outer body has an inner wall defined by a first clearance layer having a first diameter, a second clearance layer having a second diameter, and a third clearance layer having a third diameter, wherein the first diameter is smaller than the second diameter, and the second diameter is smaller than the third diameter, the step of placing the header within the outer body resulting in a first step defined by a first space located between the header and the first clearance layer, a second step defined by a second space located between the header and the second clearance layer, and a third step defined by a third space located between the header and the third clearance layer; and filling the second step and the first step with solder.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.